Female Film Critics 24/375
Although the feature films get the bulk of the buzz and attention at Tribeca, there is also a rich slate of short films. I confess that the title alone of Apocalypse Besties was immediately appealing to me. It conjured up an absurd collision of dystopian horror and BFF comedy. And it manages to deliver on both.
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The Man Ray: Return to Reason program includes four Man Ray avant-garde short films that deliver experiences, not linear narratives. As with dreams, they may tease viewers for logical interpretation or for connections to events. I’d resist those urges and, instead, settle into the mesmerizing four short films Man Ray created in Paris between 1923 and 1929, that remarkably prolific period for daring experimental cinema inspired by the surrealist and Dadaist movements.
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A short film is typically considered to be a movie that is less than 30 minutes in length. Although many of them don’t acknowledge it in their biographies, several top filmmakers began their careers making short films. If you can make a successful short film, it proves that you’re a good storyteller who can work within a budget and create your own cinematic identity. Short films are less expensive than feature-length films, and their purpose is often to showcase new talent and experimental techniques. Which is why they’re important.
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Oscar Nominated Documentary Short Films present compelling statements. Five Oscar nominated documentary short films communicate important ideas. Two take animal welfare as their topic through very different styles but with equally powerful, engrossing works. Two are explicitly political, and one chronicles a father/daughter relationship.
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In this charming and wise short film, writer/director Kate Tsang tells a story of the first steps into growing up with captivating wit and charm, and with a quality that is even more rare, genuine whimsy. The black and white cinematography gives it a timeless, fairy tale quality that perfectly suits the mood of the story. Judith Viorst’s book, Necessary Losses, describes the often-wrenching pain that humans experience as we mature. That theme is brought to life in this film, as a young, sci-fi comics-loving girl named Izzy (Madeleine Conner) has a best friend who is sympathetic, supportive, fun, and always has time to play with her.
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Nine unique films comprise one extraordinary viewing experience. Fantasia Film Fest’s annual Born Of Woman program features shorts created by an eclectic array of female filmmakers. Get ready to be astounded by 2022’s storytelling.
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Mickey Sumner’s I’m Listening was shot in response to Maven Screen Media’s WITH/IN short film initiative for Tribeca Film Festival 2021. The directive was simple: Using an iPhone and whatever’s easily at your disposal, shoot a short film dealing with quarantine life in 2020. It’s not as if there wasn’t a surplus of storytelling angles, themes and emotions available, considering how much everyone’s lives changed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Single confronts the complexities of being disabled and dating. Kim, who was born with one arm, gets set-up to go on a blind date. When she finally meets Jake, to her horror – he only has one hand. Unable to get over the apparent ignorance of the matchmaker, as well as her own insecurities about being different, Kim tries to bail on the date. Ashley Eakin and Single are nominated for the AWFJ EDA Award for Best female-Directed Short at Whistler Film Festival.
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With his eyes in a fantasy book and his ears to the horrific testimony of an Eritrean refugee, nine-year-old Sinai falls asleep at his mother’s workplace, and his mind drifts away. In his sleep his mother tells him a surrealistic fairytale about a Syrian refugee family living in Sweden. This “fairytale” is about a young Syrian boy who falls into a coma-like situation after the family receives a deportation letter from the government.
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Alex Anna’s body is a canvas: her scars come to life to tell a new story of self-harming. Live action and animation intertwine in this short and poetic documentary, both intimate and universal.
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